The Arizona Cardinals played their preseason finale Thursday night against the Denver Broncos, falling 20-7. It was a battle of backups and players battling to make the roster.
However, as the team now works on putting together its final roster and cutting it down to 53 players, there were three players held out of the game that were a bit surprising.
After all, in preseason finales, the players who sit out typically are either injured or are considered a lock for the final roster.
These three players did not play on Thursday, are not projected starters and perhaps have a better standing with the team than many perhaps expected.
WR Damiere Byrd
Perhaps this shouldn’t be too much of a surprise, as Byrd has gotten consistent playing and practice time with the first-team offense. However, this would suggest the Cardinals will keep seven receivers on the roster or perhaps someone like Trent Sherfield isn’t as much of a lock for the final 53 as most have believed.
TE Darrell Daniels
Little has been said about Daniels in the preseason. However, he was one of three tight ends not to play, suggesting the Cardinals have a place for him on the roster. He has been playing a ton on special teams. The question now remains — will the Cardinals keep three or four tight ends on the roster?
LB Zeke Turner
Perhaps this shouldn’t be surprised, considering the work he did on special teams in 2018, but he seemed to be down the depth chart at linebacker. The inside linebackers who did not play were Haason Reddick (injured), Jordan Hicks (starter), Joe Walker (probable starter in place of Reddick) and Turner.
It would appear Turner has a spot on the roster.
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